Total cost

[Mmeewes]

Hey guys I'm getting ready to present the idea of building a pizza oven to my wife and though I'm convinced its a great idea I'm sure her question will be how much?

So assuming I buy the pompeii90 kit for 1,050 plus 500 for shipping to the NW, I'm at 1,550 already. My question is for those who have already finished their ovens. How much did you spend on materials not included in the kit? I'm looking for a ballpark estimate on my total end of day cost on the entire project.

Matt

[kbartman]

Re: Total cost

Sky the limit........ I told my wife I do the whole thing for $1500 max. With the $1200 budget long gone…….. I blamed the cost overruns on tools. ....Once you have broken ground and committed, she will just want that first pizza......... Then break the news to her the final cost of $2500 (I'm shooting for) .......insulation is expensive and depending how elaborate your enclosure you could run well into 5000 to 6000 Grand........just tell her it would be upwards to $12,000 to have a contractor do it. Then tell her how much you are saving her.......the same sociology she uses when she goes shopping........

[Mmeewes]

Re: Total cost

Haha I like that how much she is saving angle. Wow though, 5-6 grand?!? Doesn't the kit include most of the insulating material? I have all the construction tools for the most part, I'm just thinking ill need studs, cinder blocks, stucko or regular brick....eg. Am I far off?

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: Total cost

Any consideration of not using a kit and using the $500 shipping towards the build materials? If you scrounge and look around you can save quite a bit of cost. If you already have most the tools then you are that much farther ahead.

[deejayoh]

Re: Total cost

The $500 shipping for the kit is not worth it. You can get everything local pretty easily. Save your money. You don't even need to scrounge much. Take a look in the sourcing thread in the NW forum. I am sure many of those resources will be applicable for Vancouver. Or, drive across the bridge and save yourself some sales tax!

That said, the dome construction is really just the start. The housing, finishes, flue - all cost as much or more than the dome construction (and probably take as much or more time!). I thought I could do this for a few thousand $, and if I look at my total receipts and back out what the kitchen area cost - I am probably in for $4000-4500. That's probably the high end of a budget. Dome covers are cheaper than housings, you don't need double wall stainless flues, and lots of stuff can be sourced used. I was impatient and wanted what I wanted. I had already spent many times more than that to get the site ready (retaining wall, patio) so I wasn't as sensitive to the budget as I might have been otherwise.

[kbartman]

Re: Total cost

Haha I like that how much she is saving angle. Wow though, 5-6 grand?!? Doesn't the kit include most of the insulating material? I have all the construction tools for the most part, I'm just thinking ill need studs, cinder blocks, stucko or regular brick....eg. Am I far off?

Yea I forgot insulation was with the kit...... $1.20 for fire brick estimate in the FB plans when I paid 2.50 a brick is probably the biggest over budget item for me..... I was able to get some of the insulation given to me....I sure thought I could get the insulation locally cheaper but I had to buy by the case.....I was still way under the kit cost..... Shipping was the biggest reason I didn't buy a kit. About $1700 just shipping cost to SE....... Take the tools out of my budget. I'm about $1500
Add about $500 max to finish my enclosure (stucco Hardie board steel studs and hardware).
I'm saving the wife thousands. The 1200 Dollars for the kit, oven stand and enclosures not included. You might want to find the materials locally......

[kbartman]

Re: Total cost

deejayoh is speaking from experience I would trust his judgment before I’d trust mine.....Stainless flues are expensive.........I opting for a clay flue liner and will insulated with fiber blanket. I hope it will work out for me otherwise much budget will be going thru the roof in more ways than one………. LOL

[deejayoh]

Re: Total cost

firebrick:

Mutual Materials - Vancouver

10019 NE 72nd Avenue
Vancouver, WA 98686
Phone: (888) 688-8250

Mortar supplies:

Vancouver Building Materials
7215 NE 18th St., Vancouver, WA 98661
360-896-8922

and I know there is a refractory place in Portland that sells CF board and blanket at good prices, because I almost drove down there to get it - but I can't remember the name.

wait - here it is - http://hightempinc.net/

Mail order is the best way to get the flue materials if you want stainless, unless you can find them on Craigslist or salvage shop

[geisen]

Re: Total cost

Built mine from all local supplies and stopped counting around $5K.

Sitting around the WFO, drinking wine, baking pizzas with friends, kids and family.......priceless.

[okn]

Re: Total cost

Just finished mine, and I bought almost everything new. I gave myself a $1000 budget. Remember, my design is way outside normal specs, but this will give you an idea. Here’s the break out:

Steel – used for stand, supports, shelf, and chimney – $380 delivered
Casters – 4 x 1000 lb rated – $40 delivered
Firebrick – 100 x $1.20 – $130 picked up
Mortar – Clay, Lime. Portland, Sand – passed down + $5 for extra sand
Insulation – INSBLOCK 19 - $200 picked up
Insulation – superwool – passed down
Cement Board - $22 picked up
Thin set and grout - $20 picked up
Glass Tiles – 25 - $125 picked up
Large Porcelain tiles – 8 - $20 picked up
Grinding and cutoff wheels - $10 picked up
Spray Paint – 3 cans black 2 cans high temp - $35 picked up
Total ~ $969

IMHO building the dome is just one of three critical parts. 1) stand & hearth 2) dome, and 3) enclosure + finishing. For most people, 1 & 2 seem to go a lot faster than 3.

Kevin

[deejayoh]

Re: Total cost

Remember, my design is way outside normal specs, but this will give you an idea.

That's a very important thing to note for anyone considering building a Pompeii. I admire an oven built for <$1000 - but looking at the line item breakdown of your oven cost is probably a better guide for estimating what a standard Pompeii might cost than fixating on the total. A piece of stainless Duravent can set you back the cost of the steel for your stand, supports, shelf, and chimney!

A $1k Pompeii would be tough to do without finding a lot of supplies free or used. I felt relieved just seeing that geisen stopped counting at $5k!

[Outeniqua]

Re: Total cost

The joy your family will get out of a Pompei oven by far outstrips the costs and effort to build it. I cannot talk to the costs of your kit, but in dollar terms it will probably be expensive to most.

I have long since forgotten how much it cost me to build my oven. It is really awesome to have and we use it every week. If you can afford it - go for it.

Good luck

[Bacterium]

Re: Total cost

Plus it doesn't seem as much if you buy a bit here and a bit there........what did I spend THAT much!!

[SableSprings]

Re: Total cost

I started out thinking I was going to build a small cob oven, but quickly realized that I was going to want more out of my "first retirement project".

I've attached a pdf summary of my costs to date for my build (The Dragonfly Den). Oven materials costs are those directly connected with the oven, i.e. bricks & concrete. Oven equipment & labor are for power tools and things I had to hire done such as a buying a chop saw and paying for site preparation. After I built the base oven, I needed to build an enclosure for it...and then upgrade my beer making room into a prep room for baking...and then build a wood shed. I hope the summary makes sense and gives you some basic idea of the costs that you may incur once you decide to build a WFO for fun and entertaining.

I certainly was a little shocked by the total cost to date (of almost $9,500), but it's been the best investment (in my personal happiness) that I've ever made! I've also been pleasantly surprised by how little it costs and how personally satisfying it is to give bread to all my friends and to those folks who helped me work on this project. Life is Good!

[CoyoteVB]

Re: Total cost

I started on a tight budget. I cringed and paying the price for mortar. Chose Home-brew mortar to save money. As the build progressed the $$$ increased. Once I started finishing the dome, spending $40 on 2oz of concrete stain did not cross my mind. Friday night Pizza parties are becoming routine even as I was finishing the project. I get 2 questions these days. Can you make dough for Friday? And, When are you going to finish it... I will post pictures soon.